#erika l. sánchez

[feral-ballad]

Erika L. Sánchez, from Lessons on Expulsion: Poems; “Amá”

[Text ID: “In One Hundred Years of Solitude, / Márquez wrote that we are birthed / by our mothers only once, but life obligates / us to give birth / to ourselves over and over.”]

[lillyli-74]

Each night I inhale my own wings.

~ Erika L. Sánchez

[fawnaura]

Sometimes between sleep and waking life I think I’m in another city. The mornings taste like bruises.

Erika L. Sánchez, from Lessons on Expulsion, ‘Crossing’

[smokefalls]

What is the soul / but this endless circuitry, / the bright and pitiful idea / you carry of yourself?

Erika L. Sánchez, "Letter from New York" from Lessons on Expulsion

[slaughter-books]

Day 10: JOMPBPC: Books And Sunshine

[violettesiren]

When I am a stranger to my own ruin, twilight reminds me to give alms to my best sins. March: the city is purging in the humility of worms, salt washing from the grasses. When I breathe in, I say thank you. When I breathe out, I say gone, I say garden, I say guns. Three crows devour the dead rat. Look at all that booty, the man mutters and blows me kisses. The sky is worthless and my bulbous ass is always a dinner bell. I run farther, I run with a feather inside my ear, I run from a bird with a broken neck and follow the sound of thawing snow. Aren’t we all boundless though? The way a dream secretes the morning after, the way moths feed on the eyes of fawn. Two and not two— vines that strangle trees never say they’re sorry. I reach the lake with this grateful ache in my throat. And if I say my body is its own crumbling country, if I say I am always my own home—then what does that make me?

A Woman Runs on the First Day of Spring by Erika L. Sánchez

[laberintodeariadna]

All of Us

Erika L. Sánchez

Every day I am born like this—

No chingues. Nothing happens

for the first time. Not the neon

sign that says vacant, not the men

nor the jackals who resemble them.

I take my bones inscribed by those

who came before, and learn

to court myself under a violence

of stars. I prefer to become demon,

what their eyes cannot. Half of me

is beautiful, half of me is a promise

filled with the quietest places.

Every day I pray like a dog

in the mirror and relish the crux

of my hurt. We know Lilith ate

the bones of her enemies. We know

a bitch learns to love her own ghost.

Copyright © 2018 by Erika L. Sánchez. Originally published in Poem-a-Day on April 27, 2018, by the Academy of American Poets.

[earnestlyeccentric]

I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter

Author: Erika L. Sánchez Rating: 2/5 When Julia’s older sister dies in a road accident, her family is grief-stricken and must deal with the repercussions of their grief. Spoilers ahead. Continue reading I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter

[feral-ballad]

Erika L. Sánchez, from Lessons on Expulsion: Poems; “Amá”

[Text ID: “Amá, I leave because / I feel like an unfinished / poem, because I’m always trying / to bridge the difference.”]

[pendraegon]

[fawnaura]

we are birthed by our mothers only once, but life obligates us to give birth to ourselves over and over.

Erika L. Sánchez, from Lessons on Expulsion, 'Amá'

[smokefalls]

Love, remove your fingers from between my ribs.

Erika L. Sánchez, "Circles" from Lessons on Expulsion

[chic-beyond-the-wall-oc-acct]

So, project 2025 has been deleting their PDFs but a few lovely people have posted the list of books they want to ban and other than the fact that the entire list is stupid, here's some that stuck out to me + the reasons listed next to them. Most of the books on the list are lgbtq+ books which one would expect to find there, so I just did ones I didn't expect.

The Holy Bible - Challenged for religious beliefs and graphic content.

A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin - Sexual violence, political intrigue.

Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson - Death and religious content.

Captain Underpants series by Dav Pilkey - Toilet humor and "disobedience."

Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak - Critique of the Russian Revolution.

Deadly Deceits by Ralph McGehee - Former CIA agent's critiques of the agency.

Emma by Jane Austen - Complex gender themes, social critique.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury - Censorship and media manipulation by the government.

Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling - Accusations of promoting witchcraft.

Howl by Allen Ginsberg - Explicit sexual content, anti-establishment themes

Hop on Pop by Dr. Seuss - Concerns over violence against parents.

I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sánchez - Mental health, sexual content.

It's Perfectly Normal by Robie H. Harris - Sex education content.

It's So Amazing! by Robie H. Harris - Sex education content.

None Dare Call It Conspiracy by Gary Allen - Discusses alleged hidden global power structure.

None Dare Call It Treason by John A. Stormer - Anti-communist and conspiracy-focused.

One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn - Critique of Soviet labor camps.

Operation Paperclip by Annie Jacobsen - Exposes secret U.S. program involving former Nazis.

My Brother Sam Is Dead by James Lincoln Collier - Violence, anti-war themes.

Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt vonnegut- Anti-war themes.

Spycatcher by Peter Wright - Ex-MI5 agent's account of intelligence operations.

The Art of Happiness by the Dalai Lama - Criticism of religion, perceived political messages.

The Awakening by Kate Chopin - Female independence, sexuality.

The Book of Night Women by Marlon James - Slavery, graphic violence.

The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede - Magic, feminism.

The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein - Themes of selfishness, parenting.

The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy - Examines class and caste issues in India.

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood - Critique of religious extremism and patriarchy.

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas - Examines police violence and racial injustice

The Hunger Games Series by Suzanne Collins - Depicts oppressive government and rebellion.

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster - Political subtext, wordplay.

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver - Critique of colonialism and missionary work.

The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene - Critique of religion and political oppression

The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle - Religious critique.

The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli - Seen as a critique of political ethics.

The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare - Often challenged for themes of submission of women in marriage.

Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer - Themes of violence, supernatural elements.

V for Vendetta by Alan Moore - Political rebellion, violence.

War is a Racket by Smedley D. Butler - Critique of war profiteering.

Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein - Dark humor, "rebellious" themes.

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak - Themes of rebellion, dark imagery.

Where's Waldo? by Martin Handford - Alleged inappropriate illustrations.

White Noise by Don DeLillo - Critique of consumerism and modern society.

Women Who Run with the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estes - Feminist themes.

Yertle the Turtle by Dr. Seuss - Seen as political allegory.

Zorba the Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis - Critique of authority and societal norms.

[violettesiren]

Every day I am born like this— No chingues. Nothing happens for the first time. Not the neon sign that says vacant, not the men nor the jackals who resemble them. I take my bones inscribed by those who came before, and learn to court myself under a violence of stars. I prefer to become demon, what their eyes cannot. Half of me is beautiful, half of me is a promise filled with the quietest places. Every day I pray like a dog in the mirror and relish the crux of my hurt. We know Lilith ate the bones of her enemies. We know a bitch learns to love her own ghost.

All of Us by Erika L. Sánchez

[greenqueenhightower]

Alicent's Desire to Be Free, 2x07

Michelle Williams || on lightness / Danez Smith || "summer, somewhere" / Erika L. Sánchez, || "Prodigal Daughter"

[sageandscorpiongrass]

You're never going to be back home again.

I’ll Give You The Sun, Jandy Nelson | Norwegian Wood, Haruki Murakami | White Oleander, Janet Fitch | Homesick, Noah Kahan | Sick, Jody Chan | Chrystal Light, Erin Hanson | First Dog in Space, Brennig Davies | It's Not A Game/It's Just A Ride, Ride The Cyclone | Giovanni's Room, James Baldwin | “La Cueva”, Lessons on Expulsion, Erika L. Sánchez | Fiery grass against a blue sky, Casey Lee | That's Enough, Let's Get You Home, Will Wood | Journal of a Solitude, May Sarton | Faithful and Virtuous night, Louise Glück | Ask Polly: Help, I'm the Loneliest Person in the World!, Heather Havrilesky | Hammerhead, Penelope Scott